Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-27
THE ORIGIN OF MnrEoRIrEs
Thrown Millions of Years Ago From
Eoaring suns.

lHItHlluI luede COHCGEulOE LlDlT blI mn
canoe. AS these IDEAS converge from an
unexpected direction upon theory which
| have long entertained, | take n special
interest in discussing them; and believe
the readers of Harpar's Weekly, whether
they accept or reject NJ. Daubree's ideas
and my own kindred theory, will ind the
study OF the matter we'll worth their
while.
The inquiry, from NJ. Daubree's point
OF view, may be SAID to have begun with
the discovery OF the celebrated Ovitak
meteorites Gas they We're caIled), brought
to Europe by NJ. Nordenskjld (pro-
nounced Moro ensbield) from the Western
shores OF Greenland. In 1918 Sir John
Ross brought back from his Arctic voyage
some knives with blades made from pieces
ofiron found by the EsquimauX near Cape
York. AS nickel was found in this iron,
meteoric origin was attributed to 1t. NJ.
Nordenskjold's attention was attracted to
some spec mems ofthe same iron deposited
IN the Copenhagen museum; and during
his voyage to Greenland in 1870 he sought
for the iron masses which the EsQuimauX
described as present in large quantities
AT Ovhak, near Disco Island. He col
lected twenty masses. containing not less
than twenty tons o. iron. AT first these
masses were regarded az meteoric. tut
NJ. Shenstrup, who was sent by the Dan
ieu XIV GIll III III 10 Hlu Out unUer WHAT
condition the iron occurred. discovered
naive ron actually imbedded In the ba-
saltlc rocks, the larger grains OF this iron
ing prec sely sim lar in structure 10 The
larger blocks previously found. Il was
tnus ncontestiby demonstrated that in
matter ejncted from the earth's interior
there is present at times IRON allowed with
nickel like meteoric iron, and having the
crystalline 'tN u p supposed to be an eX-
clusiVely meteoric cbarac eristic.
Now vi Daubree had wear or two be-
fore this indicated numerous features Of
resemblance between meteOrites end the
deeper terrestrial rocks. He had even
shown that bodies not to be dlstingu shed
rom mejeorites can be initiated by par
italy deOXidlzing these rocks. Most OF
the eruptVe rOcks,' be remarks now
presenting his full present knowledge of
tue matter, differ considerably rom me-
teorltes. A great difference also ap
pears IN comparing meteorites with the
masses on which the sedimentary strata
Immediately rest. Thus we never hrd
granite, or any of the minerals associated
with II, in meteoriteS. The analysis OF me-
teortes must be found in the silicate
rocks, which originate in deen regions be-
low the granite. A striking example 0f
this simil!tude is afforded by the lavas
formed from the association of two sill
Gates, pyrOXeue aud anOrthite feldspar,
aud which correspond exactly VITA the
meteorite picked up at JOnzac on June
10 1919, and with one which fell at JuVi-
mas June Is. 1921"
This naturally suggests the idea that
meteorites had their origin under such
conditions as exist deep within the interi-
or of the earth. Only, If mete0ric masses
were originally so situated, the fticultv
naturally arises, how did they ever get
out thencef Can we for moment imag
inc the occurrence of eruptive action
sufficiently energetic 10 prOpel masses
from the interior OF a planet ike our earth
with yelocltIes so great tnat the masses so
expelled could never return to their parent
orb? When we see tbat the OVifak iron
masses were elected, at any rate. with
tremendous energy, though the date OF
their expulsion was comparatively recent
certainly following the primary and
secondary eras IT the earth's life which
we're themselves recent IN her history as
plane the idea seems certainly rem
dered admissible that when the earth was
full OF that fiery energy which belonged
TO her early youth, such absolute election.
or practically such rejection, of masses
from her interior might well have been
Effected. Rather perhaps by geVser ac-
ton, having it's sources Of energy deep
down below the glowing surface, han by
sucb volcanic action as now takes place.
would the process of election have been
effected. The masses elected, though
many of them may nave weighed perhaps
hundreds of pounds, would, of course,
have been absolutely as nothing COM
pared with the mighty mass of the earth.
The same reasoning applies TO every
other planet to the giant planets Jupiter.
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and to
planets smaller than the earth. to all the
planets, OF our SUMS family. and also to
all the planets attending upon the other
suns.
But also the same reasoning applies
with special force and directness to the
sun himself, and to his brother suns. the
stars. The sun, Indeed. we can examine,
aud he has been actually caught in the
acJ Of eXpelling matter from his interior
with Velocties 50 great that the expelled
matter can never have returned to him.
Observe, the evidence is not specuia-
tive. A mineral indicates by its struc-
ture the circumstances under which il
was formed. Thus, then, we can say with
confidence that meteoric masses were
formed under such conditions Of tempera-
ture, pressure, and com blnation as exist
only in the interior of large orbs in a sun
like state. We can reason out their orr
gin then quite satisfactorily, and this is
now the reasoning proceeds: We must
suppose blIlCOnb ana Inc metals not COM
bined with oxygen as they are now in
the earth. This implies intense heat pre-
venting them from comoInIng. When
eventually or locally oxygen came into
action, It united first with silicon and
magnesium, for which it has greatest
affinity; than with iron and nickel. II
the gas were all taken up ~ the former
substances, IRON and nickel would be lett
free. disseminated among the stony sill.
cafes. This is what is observed in me.
teOrites, and NJ. Daubree has been able 10
confirm the Interpretation OF the facls by
experiment. The interior OF our earth
tells us the same story. The meteoric
masses, OF which some lew may, but the
majority cannot, have come from the
earth, tell us, tEen, in effect that the in
terlors OF the stars, or OF such other orbs
not now stars, but once sunlike. as they
proc eded from, are akin In structure to
the interior of ourown earth. 10 analyZ-
ing meteOrlLe we are in TACT analyZing a
specimen from The ipteT!or OF sun. Mil
liODs, nay, hundreds OF millions, Of years
may baye passed since that meteOrc
body was cjec ed ; many journeys II may
have made from solar system to solar
system before reaching ours, n came ia.
- casual CoufllcJ VITA our earth, aud SO
brought it, intersteliar career 10 an end
But though 10 tells us in reality OF the
condition Of some sunlike orb. not as such
orb 3 now, but as 10 was millions OF years
back IN the past an ORB now perhaps
M and I'M tn ,ttv b